After Years Of Blunders, For Once The Future Looks Bright In Pittsburgh

They have not made the playoffs since 1991, they have gone through manager after manager, they have been sellers at every trade deadline and have seemingly lost a fan base. All of that is going to change. Rejoice Pittsburgh, not only are the Steelers and Penguins back, but the Pirates seem to be climbing up that ladder back to respectability. After years of draft blunders, bad trades, and losing seasons, the new management team of the Pirates is quietly building a winner. Let's look back at what the new management of the Pirates led by GM Neal Huntington has done to bring the Pirates back

1: The Hiring of Manager John Russell

After the fiascoes of Lloyd McClendon and Jim Tracy. the Pirates really needed to make a good hire. They searched the managerial market but didn't quite find their guy. So they turned to the family. They hired John Russell, who at the time was the manager of the AAA Indianapolis Indians. Russell had managed many of the team's young stars (Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, Nate McLouth, Matt Capps) and had Indy always in the playoff hunt. So far Russell has proved to be a good hire. He is a players manager and has guided the Pirates from falling into the funk they have fell through in previous years. 

2: Naming Nate McLouth starting centerfielder

The Pirates have gone through many centerfielders over the years. Some guys (Adrian Brown, Chris Duffy, Tike Redman) were duds, while they let others (Gary Matthews Jr, Brian Giles, Kenny Lofton) get away. This Pirates had no answer to this position for the past 7-8 years until this spring training. Russell made it clear that "no job was safe." McLouth who spent most of '07 with Russell at AAA Indianapolis knew that he had the best chance of anyone to unseat a starter and that is what he did to the previous starter of 2 years in Chris Duffy. This move was not really thought to be much by Pirate fans but McLouth has taken his oppurtunity and grabbed it by the throat. McLouth has hit .278 with 22 HR and 73 RBI and stole 13 bases so far this season. To make the move even sweeter, McLouth, 26, made his first all-star team. 

3: Trading away Jason Bay and Xavier Nady

The PIrates have gotten the short end of the stick in many trade deadline rentals, but it looks like they may have won some deals here this season. When they traded Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the Yankees, GM's and executives around baseball were furious with the Pirates. They felt like the price the PIrates gave them up for trash. Well that doesn't look like the case anymore. The centerpiece of this deal was 20 year old outfielder Jose Tabata. Tabata was looking like a bonafide superstar at age 18 but off the field troubles and injuries have slowed him down. However people have quietly written him off this year because his power his down. Big deal! Tabata broke a bone in his hand and has been playing the entire season hurt. Hitting .290 at AA as a 20 year old with only one healthy hand is remarkable. Tabata is now looking like he'll fit into the Pirates future outifield with McLouth and top prospect Andrew McCutchen. The three pitchers they got are also promisisng. Jeff Karstens has won his first two starts with the big club, Ross Ohlendorf is continuing his progression as a starter at AAA, and while Dan McCutchen is struggling a bit at AAA, he still has a future with the team. The Jason Bay trade has also brought back more talent. Brandon Moss is looking like David Murphy Jr, (the talented outfielder who couldn't crack Boston's outfield), Andy LaRoche is showing the promise which made him the top prospect in the Dodger organization the past few years, Craig Hansen has the stuff of a closer if he can spot his pitches, and Bryan Morris is a promising prospect.

The Pirates still have a long way to go and they have some issues (signing Pedro Alvarez, hoping Brad Lincoln and Dan Moskos continue their development, getting Tom Gorzellany, Zach Duke, and Ian Snell pitching like the cogs they were in the past) but the moves the new management have made, the future looks up instead of down